


Wandering Souls

by PickleSlime



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Dead!Greg, Dead!Mabel, M/M, Sad Wirt, sad dipper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-05-21 12:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6052276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PickleSlime/pseuds/PickleSlime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>20 year old Wirt Palmer moves to gravity falls to try and escape his nightmares, as well as his life alongside them. <br/>20 year old Dipper Pines starts having absurd dreams about a tall slender figure and a lantern. As well as trying to drown out his own self-hatred and fear. <br/>Two monsters stalk the adults, waiting to make their move.</p>
<p>Major character death<br/>Bill and The Beast are jerks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sadder and possibly darker fanfic.   
> I tried to write something along the lines of 'they were both hurting an hating and then they found each other and they began to love the things they saw and wanted to touch and stay in the light long enough to forget about the darkness under their beds and the monsters in their wardrobes, or the nightmares in their heads.   
> Idk, but enjoy.   
> Also I joined Chapters 1 & 2 from my Wattpad together to create a longer piece.

\---Dipper ---  
Mabel was dead. It had been his fault.  
The demons in his head gave constant reminders on the fact, never letting him forget. Not like he would anyway. But life had continued, no matter how shitty it got. Dipper had lived in gravity falls since he was 18. His parents had practically celebrated when he'd told them he was leaving. Not caring to ask where he was going. They still blamed him, he knew that. He could still remember the way the light had left her eyes as his had returned, the blood on his hands. The smell. The noise.  
He shook himself, sloshing coffee over the table in the diner. He blinked at it for a moment before quickly setting the cup down and wiping at the wood. He glanced around the diner, finally pulling himself away from dark places and monsters. It was mainly empty, a handful of hunters chatted amongst themselves near the entrance and lazy Susan stood near them, refilling their coffee whenever a mug was raised. He almost didn't notice the guy slumped in the booth opposite him. The guys dark brown hair was messy, more so than his own. He laid with his face down on the table, his chest lifting him up and down with every breath. Dipper craned his neck to get a better look at the things on his table, he had a number of notebooks on either side of his head with smaller scraps underneath him and an unopened laptop at his side. Dipper wondered if the guy was asleep but his head suddenly jolted upwards, his eyes were wide, like a deers in headlights, there were small red rings around his eyes (had he been crying?) and his fingers were on his chest, twisted around in his sweater. There eyes met for a brief moment before Dipper ducked his head down, hiding his eyes underneath the bill of his hat, the other man had also averted his eyes. There was silence, well as much silence as a group of hunters and two silent adults could manage. Then there was a huff and the sound of rustling papers then soft, almost nonexistent footsteps. Dipper looked up agian, watched as the man shuffled past Lazy Susan, handing her a note and flinched when the hunters made a loud cheer and banged their mugs together.   
He was so damned tall! Dipper stared in awe, his slender arms were bent as he fiddled with something in his hands. His long legs dressed in slacks, he wore two different dark grey shoes though Dipper didn't judge, some days he'd wear the same shirt, for an entire week. As he exited the guy headed in the other direction and soon he disappeared from his view.   
Dipper wasted another 20 minutes or so, flipping through the pages of his own journal as well as Fords. However before long he began shuffling out of his booth, giving a polite nod to Susan and exiting the Diner. Time to get to work.

\--- Wirt ---  
Greg was dead. It had been his fault.   
Wirt could never forgive himself for it. Life had gotten worse after they'd returned from the Unknown, at first his family had been supportive, letting him and Greg take time off. Then after several months of finding one boy in the others bed and strange drawings of people only the two seemed to recognise they had held an intervention. In all honesty they were lucky to have lasted so long without it, 8 months in total, almost a complete year. But still it had startled him, almost sending him into an anxiety attack, They seriously thought sending them to psychiatrists would help, not to mention Dr Theo, the doctor that was assigned to him, had been a complete pervert, Wirt hated how his breath still hitched every time he remembered the man. He hated himself more though. He could still feel hands on him, roaming as well as forceful kisses and purred truths.  
Then three years later Greg had died, that caused everything to collapse. It had been his fault, he remember the blood pouring out of his small body. His sobs... The laughing. If he'd just died in the unknown everything would be better... Greg wouldn't have died. It was the truth. Why couldn't he have just given him what he wanted? Why had he refused to take the pills...  
His parents had pretty much disowned him after that and he'd moved out as soon as, his dad, his actual dad had given him a large sum of money to do with as he pleased, the man seemed to have been saving it for him. Though that properly wasn't the case. So he traveled, if only briefly. He was hoping the exotic sites of Paris, Rome and Japan would help distract him from his crippling depression and anxiety but no, they remained as did his grief. He'd lasted a year and a half before he'd moved to a flat in New York but soon after publishing a book of poems moved to a smaller, quieter town called Gravity Falls. There he thought he could hide away, die in peace and finally set things right. But the thirtieth night in his new home he found that he couldn't do it, he couldn't kill himself. He knew who was waiting for him. His hand tightened on the knifes handle and he threw it across the bathroom, loud sobs spewing out of him. His back had hurt the next morning as he'd fallen asleep there, on the bathroom floor. He'd gotten dressed and cleaned his face of the trails of tears though his eyes were still red, and headed to the diner where he'd eaten for the last few nights, there he planned to write more poems, compose some new songs or wallow in his own pity some more over a cup of tea. But he'd fallen asleep and jolted awake from awful memories to find a handsome young man staring at him. While rather handsome the man was rather unkept, though so was he, he quickly averted his eyes when both of theirs locked together. Rather embarrassed he'd gathered up his half finished work and headed out, he didn't like eyes on him.   
Didn't like... relationships either, he'd left his friends back home without even telling them his number or new address. Relationships made him uneasy, especially when the though of being... Involved with somebody romantically meant having to have... Sex. He flinched hard, Luckily the crowded table roared alive. Anybody watching would think that was what spooked him, not memories. He'd left the diner soon after, and decided to head home.   
His home was right on the edge of the town, surrounded by trees. Surprisingly he felt more calm surrounded by the forest than he'd believed he would be as he still had nightmares about the unknown. He quickly entered his kitchen and switched on the kettle, letting the water boil as he exited to sit in his garden. He moved to the small corner of the garden where a large umbrella sat, underneath was a small table with several chairs sat around it, though he never had any guests. He slipped down into one of the chairs and found himself pulling out the on hand notebook he always carried on him. It was time to start working.

\--- Dipper ---  
It was unusual, he knew almost every ache of the forest surrounding Gravity falls, new every type of tree that grew there, but lately a new type of tree had started appearing. Now, he knew how strange this town was, but trees didn't just grow over night. He'd counted several all within 200 meters of each other, they all seemed to head towards a specific place, so he'd set up a camera the night before. Determined to understand these strange trees.   
They creeped him out, the distorted, frowning faces which seemed to be pulling away from the bark and the occasional muffled whisper shook him far more than any of the other things he'd seen that week, excluding a demon hell bent on disturbing his dreams. Every. Night. With a growl he watched the footage agian, nothing, no gnomes or pixies within sight. The trees just seemed to grow on their own over night. He should probably ask Wendy or one of her brothers to cut them down, he could run some tests on them down in Ford's lab. With a sigh he rose, pulling a pair of worn jeans over his boxers and slipping on his favourite blue hoodie. No. He could cut off a few branches himself, no need to distract Wendy when her Wedding was so close... She had enough problems to deal with. He headed to the last place the trees had been, just remembering to bring a small hand axe along with him. As he walked he examined the axe, he'd been so distracted that he'd almost not recognised the worn colourful tape wrapped around the handle. It was Mabel's. He felt his bottom lip quiver but forced it down. Pocketing the axe as he hurried along.   
He stood in confusion, and slight awe. He'd followed the path from yesterday, he'd been sure of that but the trees were gone, all that were left were tangled roots pointing in a single direction, cautiously he followed along to where the next tree should have been, it was also gone. Tangled roots was all that was left, pointing in a similar direction. Dipper followed the roots until he found himself standing between two small reaching trees. These trees however were different, they looks the same however the faces in the trees seemed to not be frowning anymore, there were creepy smiles etched into the wood now, the whispers also seemed to more frequent. As he stood there words were thrown around him, he caught hold of a few terms such as 'Found him', 'die' and 'pilgrim' and he quickly wrote them down in his journal.   
Dipper looked up then as a startled gasp broke through the whispers, which had also immediately stopped. When he did so he found that the trees were gone agian, replaced by yet more roots. His attention was then directed to the source of the gasp, he recognised him instantly. The guy from the Diner. He was siting at a garden table, hand clutching at his chest agian, from Dippers angle the guy was covered in sweat and his chest was rising and falling quickly. He hadn't noticed Dipper yet, his eyes were glued to the ground. Dipper wondered if he should leave, he was pretty far from town, so this guy probably wanted to be alone. But then again those trees had literally stopped directly outside this guys home. Maybe he knew something about them? As he stood there debating about what to do a voice spoke to him "I - uh, can I help you- I mean, yeah." . Dipper felt the hairs on his neck stand up, he quickly ran a hand over them, making eye contact with the diner guy. Okay so he was tall, slender, handsome (okay, he only just realised that part) AND his voice was extremely appealing. It was deep yet held a soothing, calm factor which he felt himself missing already. The voice seemed calm enough, even though he was pretty sure the guy was still feeling unnerved by whatever had startled him. The guy had stood, hands rummaging into his pocket and emerging with a long piece of wool wrapped around several long fingers. As he approached his own fence his fingers made quick loops within the wool, before his index would push down on a loose string, making the ends of his fingers grow slightly pink. "Uh, yeah. I- hey. I'm Dipper. Though you probably already know that, kinda famous around here." He paused. Okay, nice introduction idiot. Just brag about yourself to his face.  
"I recognise you from Lazy Susan's place, this morning or yesterday?" The guy responded, his other hand moving to the wool, before he paused and brought it back down, it went to fiddling with the end of the guys sweater. "I-I'm Wirt... S-so, uh what do you need my help with? I-I didn't know I had any neighbours, I-is it to ask for a cup of sugar or something?" Dipper laughed at that, a bit to hard probably, okay so it'd been a while since he'd last talked to anything remotely human. It was okay to be a bit dorky, right? "Uh no. And yeah your right, this house doesn't have any neighbours, well the mystery shack is probably the closest thing to a neighbour, so yeah. I guess we are. And no I don't need any sugar, thanks". A short silence fell between the two. So you can make bargains with pixies and demons but you can't keep a conversation going with a guy for more than a few minutes? Nice Dipper. Nice. Luckily however the other guy broke the silence "okay... Well if there really isn't anything you need, I- I've got some work I need to actually finish, not to mention a lot of unpacking to still do..." Nodding Dipper quickly opened the page in his journal dedicated to these trees. "Yeah sorry dude, just do you know anything about these - actually no. Sorry for disturbing you...Wirt? Right bye" and with that he'd rushed off it not the forest. Wirt seemed normal enough, if something was going on around him then Dipper was determined to sort it out. That was his job, he needed to help the people of gravity falls. Not to mention he had a tour in 30 minutes at the shack, what would Stan say if he missed one of those?

\--- Wirt ---  
They were coming for him agian, he was trapped and he couldn't escape it. The Beast knew he was there and wanted him dragged back into The Unknown, the monsters desires almost physically painful on his skin. Then he jolted awake.   
Wirt had watched as the diner guy, Dipper marched through the woods before he turned and quickly entered his own home. He'd shut the door and drew the curtains before slumping against the ground, placing his head in his hands. "God... Kill me... I-I can't even hold a simple conversation with another guy? W-what on earth happened to me?" The laugh that followed was fake and hollow, he knew exactly what had happened to make him like this. He curled into himself, stopping only when it began to get painful. He jolted out of this position as his phone began to buzz against one of the wooden counters, he listened to it ring three times before he headed towards it. He recognised the caller ID and simply waited until the buzzing stopped.   
Sara. She'd tried calling his number almost twice everyday, he didn't know how she had his number but she had it. The first time he'd answered it, believing it to be his publisher asking for another book but the familiar tone of her voice had him in tears the entire night, so he'd decided to avoid that number. She probably just wants to yell at you, blame you like everybody else. She doesn't love you... Nobody does.   
Wirt moved towards his bedroom, several unopened boxes containing clothing were still sitting around and slowly he began to unpack them. He allowed himself to listen to some radio and found he knew none of the popular songs playing. When all but one box remained unpacked he laid back on his bed and curled around one of his many blankets. The nights were unnecessarily cold nowadays, and it didn't help that he was already plenty weak to the cold already.   
Another weakness for people to laugh at you for, what type of weirdo wears sweaters during summer? Freak.   
Wirt slipped in and out of uneasy sleep, praying that The Beast in his dreams would leave him be for one night. Surprisingly his prayers were answered as The Beast didn't appear once in his dream however he found he was still startled awake by a piercing pain around his ankle. I his half awake state he'd believed his foot had gotten tangled in his sheets or the phone cord, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done it. So with one hand he attempted to rip the covers away from him while with his free hand rubbed at his eyes, when the covers didn't move and felt rough against his skin it finally clicked that something was off.   
Panic began to build inside of him, he lowered his eyes slowly and felt the bile in his stomach churn at the facials wood. A thick branch had crept it's way between his floorboards and held tightly onto his ankle. He swallowed down the bile threatening to rise up and pathetically tugged at the branch. When pulling with his hands didn't work he tried yanking his ankle free, this action however only promoted the branch to tighten its grip, easily crushing Wirt's ankle. He let out a cry of pain before the sobbing took over, the sound of his blood pulsing in his ears almost completely eclipsed his loud pathetic sobs. You're a pathetic coward,  
Wirt Palmer.   
He span around where he sat, why didn't he keep a knife or an axe by his bed? He knew something like this was going to happen again. Alas there were no axes or knifes or even bats within his reach.   
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. How can you be so ill prepared?! A monster swore your eternal damnation and you don't even try and protect yourself?! Not even scissors to aid you. You deserve having your ankle broken.   
Slightly annoyed at his own stupidity Wirt attempted to yank his ankle away, the motion unsettled his (most likely) broken ankle and he let out another yell of pain, the tears hadn't stopped.The branch also moved agian, crawling up his calf and wrapping around his grey trousers, Stopping only when it reached his hip. He swallowed hard. He was beginning to get used to the throbbing panic again. He could think over himself now, he could stress and cry all he wanted when he got his ankle free, until then he was as good as dead, well more so than he already felt. So, Wirt thought over the throbbing pain in his ankle and the dull ache beginning to grow in the front of his brain.   
So far the branch only moved when he tried to struggle, so it made sense not to struggle. But if he did that then more branches could grow and consume him, sending him straight down to The Beast, he needed to get his ankle free, even if that meant spending two days at the local hospital afterwards. He could deal with a cast and possibly crutches for a few weeks, he absolutely couldn't deal with The Beast.  
The beaches around his hip and upper leg were thinner so, carefully he snapped them away, breathing a huff of relief when the main branch didn't react, as he worked his way down his leg a feeling that he'd been feeling to little crept up on him as did a second branch sprouting from his floor, however it was too late. He managed to scream out, the distant feeling slipping away quickly as more and more branches began to twist and squeeze him. Maybe a nighttime walker would hear his scream and come to help.   
Nobody wants to help you, you might as well as just die. Why can't you do anything anybody wants you too? Just die already.   
The newer branches were wrapping themselves around his arms and slowly creeping around his torso and several thin, twig like branches were already beginning to climb their way towards his head. He tried to cry out again but found the thickest of the branches clamping his mouth shut, he could feel separate branches growing off in an attempt to part his lips and force their way down his throat. New found panic set in and he made a desperate attempt to escape, he began thrashing. Wirt pushed against the constricting branches and even pulled at his ankle restraint,this efforts however only served in providing him with another rush of throbbing pain and an increase in the branches growth.   
Other longer and thicker looking branches sprouted from the ground and began to wrap themselves around his torso and legs again, they sat heavily on his chest heavily, it was almost painful enough to make Wirt cry. This is what you get when you try and fight it, you get pain, pain and more pain. It's all your fault, if only you could actually do something besides being so useless. As depressive thoughts began to settle in Wirt found his will to fight slipping from him, the longer he remained bond by these cursed branches the weaker his spirit got.   
This was it, this was how The Beast would receive him, wrapped up like a gift from his accursed elderwood trees.   
Than to his surprise a loud thudding came from his corridor, and a figure stood in his doorway, the figures shoulders were rising and falling quickly, a low wheeze filling the room. From his angle on his bed he recognised the figure as it took a step forwards, it was the guy from the diner, Dipper.  
Dipper was breathing heavily as he wielded twin axes, his eyes locked onto him, pinned down and probably looking pathetic with puffy red eyes. His apparent rescuer rushed forwards and hacked away at the branches siting on his upper body. When the weight disappeared from his body he attempted to sit up but found a hand grabbing his shoulders and attempting to pull him back, Dipper leapt over his bed and tried to take Wirt along with him.   
Wirt cried out in pain as the branch still wrapped around his ankle bent it at an awkward angle, the force of Dipper pulling him had obviously resulted in his already broken foot being completely snapped.   
Dipper dropped him and again leaped over his bed before hacking at the first branch. It took time however when Wirt felt the Cursed wood leave his ankle he brought it up towards his chest and touched it gently. It had already swollen and was starting to turn a deep shade of purple. Wirt cast a glance up at Dipper who was looking down at his foot, he could see his rescuer thinking, the cogs in his mind working at full power. But it was taking to long, a pair of axes wouldn't keep The Beast away, let alone erase his trail, he needed his book. He shuffled forward before placing his good foot down, he took a deep breath before shoving himself forwards. The pain that shot through him had him crying out but he stood, favouring one foot but standing and shaking. He slowly hobbled forward wincing with every step he took, gesturing with his head for Dipper to follow. "I-I have a-shit, I've got a book. I should be able to d-deal with him, c-can y-you-... Can I use an axe?" Dipper easily handed him one of the axes, his now free hand hovered around his side, ready to catch him if he should fall. The though was comforting but Wirt could at least trust himself to be stubborn. He wouldn't allow himself to fall until he was out of The Beasts hands.  
He found his satchel hanging where he left it and quickly dug through it. His hands brushed against worn leather and he pulled the familiar book out. "I-I'm gonna need to get my stuff out of here... Can I ask you to grab the box in my room? And any uh, sweaters? From my wardrobe?"   
"Why? What is that book? What are you going to do?"   
Wirt couldn't help the small smile flicker over his features. He couldn't help the brief joy that escaping The Beast and his scouts brought him. It would often make him feel whole again, if only for a brief moment.   
"I'm going to burn my house down, I'll grab the rest. Now, quickly!"   
Wirt waited a moment after he watched Dipper up off before he snatched up his satchel and hobbled towards the kitchen. He hacked at any branches and roots he saw, which wasn't an easy task when you only have one foot to balance on. However he managed to snatch his work things up, grab both his wallet and phone as well as another unlabelled box.   
The adrenaline was beginning to burn off, Wirt was beginning to feel his usual bone-chilling weariness so with one last hack at a branch he hobbled down the corridor, bumping into Dipper as he dashed out of the door, three boxes tucked under his arms. Wirt nodded and headed for the door, closely followed by Dipper. They had reached the door, he could see the car Dipper had most likely drove up in, outside was dark and he couldn't see the make very well but that was the least of his problems. He felt bad, but threw his box and bag at Dipper. Spinning where he stood and flipping to the usual page. Technically he did t even need to read from the book, he'd memorised the spell well enough, but the weight of the book felt good in his hands, distracted him from other things like the burning sensation that set his entire body on fire.   
He took a deep breath before chanting the familiar words.   
"If spirits threaten me in this place, fight water by water and fire by fire, banish their souls into nothingness, and remove their powers until the last trace, let these evil beings flee, from time and space". As if on a timer he flicked to another page, his eyes traced the words briefly before he placed his hand on his front door. Again he took a deep breath, ignoring the burning starting underneath his skin.   
"Here and now, I invoke the elemental force of fire, I call to the hearthfires warmth and the Suns revealing light, to the lightning's strike and the meteor's blazing arc. You that catalyses transformation, you that teaches the clearest lessons, you that melts stone. I call you here, to infuse my intention with your flickering gifts. I call you here to fulfil the spirit forge. Temper my own will in your flames and anneal my purpose with your heat. Candle and campfire, courage and goals. Fire, I call to thee!"   
The burning sensation raced through his body, he felt it lick at his bones and he pulled away when the searing Become to much to bear, lifting his hand from the door Wirt felt the connection snap and He easily dropped to his knees, breathing ragged and each breath painful, ankle throbbing painfully. He was probably sweating, he's sweated buckets the first and third time he'd done two spells one after another. He shut his eyes and tried to force down the pain but his attempts only made the fire in his veins push against him, he choked on a dying cry and was startled by a sudden coolness on his back and immediately looked up, Dipper was looking down at him with wide, awestruck eyes. The coolness was spreading through his body now, coaxing the fire out of his body and into the slowly burning house.   
Wirt starred back into Dipper's eyes and wanted to lose himself within them, let himself be consumed by them. But those eyes didn't know what he'd done, didn't know the acts he'd committed or the sins he carried. He didn't want to see what they looked like when they found out, didn't want to see the disappointment or fear.   
He felt such a rush of emotions that he moved his hand and clung at his rescuers shirt, pulling him closer towards him he could feel his own eyes widening and the slight part that came to his lips.   
He came to save you, he heard your cries. Wirt didn't know what to do, so like the pathetic fool he believed himself to be he cried, and was startled by the iciness they carried as they rolled down his cheeks. He sat and cried for a good while all while Dipper crouched next to him, watching the fire burning. When he eventually stopped crying Dipper helped hoist him up and when Wirt almost collapsed again had placed an arm around his waist and helped him hobble to his car. Wirt couldn't help but admire the strength within his saviours arms, they were surprisingly toned, tanned and thick. His didn't even compare, he had pale, skinny pale arms which he despised as much as the rest of himself. Wirt allowed himself to be buckled into the car seat and rubbed the leather book sitting in his lap as Dipper circled the car, the book provided a strange form of comfort yet he couldn't deny that every time his fingers ran over a bump in the fabric a feeling of tranquility would wash over him, Even as he watched his newest home go up in flames. Dipper started the engine and the two of them drove away in silence from the burning house, both focusing on different things. The soft music from the radio washing over them. Wirt found he didn't particularly care where the man was taking him, he could be taking him anywhere from the hospital to an abandoned shack in the woods. Wirt found he didn't particular mind either setting, it was nice to rid in an actual car and not a bus or taxi, the convertible allowed for fresh air to whip through his hair. He didn't even care about how it was probably making his hair stand on end, he was allowing himself to indulge in the feeling of victory.   
No matter how brief it was it still meant Wirt could fight back.   
He wouldn't submit to The Beast or his trees yet.

(( hello, just a note to say that the spells Wirt chants here are actual Wiccan spells which I found online, the first spell is a banishing/protection spell against evil spirits while the second one invokes the power of fire.the majority of Wiccan spells require the use of items, red candles are often used for fire spells however while I wanted the words to be accurate I wasn't set on the use of items. It may come up later but as of now there are no items)))


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some backstory I guess. 
> 
> Wirt probably overshares but whatever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooooo I finally update something, at long last......  
> sorry. I've just not wanted to write and well. yep.
> 
> we all have those times we overshare and probably regret but hey Ive given up so enjoy

Dipper had watched as Wirt had chanted his spell and stood in awe as a faint glow took over his body. The glow had travelled down his arm and into the house before the house had caught fire. Wirt had collapsed on the floor soon after and Dipper had rushed over. Wirt's breathing had been uneven, whatever that spell had been had drained him and the swelling in his ankle looked a lot worse then it had been beforehand or maybe it was that he just looked a lot paler and the purples and blacks looked a lot darker on his skin. Carefully he hoisted the man onto his feet, making sure to wrap his arms around the guys thin frame. Slowly the two made their way towards his car and once the guy was seated Dipper ran to the drivers seat and buckled himself in and then they were off. While he drove Dippers mind ran rampant with questions but first he needed to get this guy somewhere safe and the safest place in Gravity Falls was The Shack.

So without thinking he began driving towards his home. Wirt never once asked where they were going, didn't even bother to ask Dipper about himself they simply sat in silence as crappy radio music washed over them both, far away in the distance Wirt's home burned brightly, lighting the horizon on fire. "Thank you for you're help back there... I'm afraid I would be inside a wooden coffin now if not for you... Thank you". It came unexpected and fried Dippers circuits. "I- uh. I-it's fine" he eventually stuttered out. "I-I mean you were being attacked by a demon or something right? I'm glad I could help... Though you did the majority of the work. W-what were those spells you used anyway? They were so cool looking" He glanced over and swallowed hard, Wirt had his eyes shut against the wind and a small smile spread across his lips. His hair blew widely in the wind and his head was titled backwards slightly so that the shape of his long neck stood out, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. He swallowed hard and quickly dragged his eyes from his passenger and onto the road again as Wirt spoke. "They're Wiccan I think... I had an old, old friend who was into that kinda stuff and well some stuff happened and She thought it would be a good idea for me to defend myself against things... They're are some Latin spells in here too I think..." And then the conversation fell flat again with Dipper sneaking glance's at his passenger every now and again.

They arrived at The Mystery Shack 20 minutes after their brief conversation. Dipper parked the car in-front of the slowly decaying building and he suddenly felt an embarrassed flush consume his face. Embarrassment about the state of his home yet was surprised when he cast a glance in Wirt's direction to find the man smiling up at the building, a small gleam in his eyes. "uh s-sorry it's not much. I-its probably not even that safe I-I mean..." he fell silent when Wirt's eyes fell on him. The man's eyes seemed to have an age, a tint of wisdom to them now, like he knew things he didn't. His heart clenched painfully and he had to resist the urge to rub at it. He probably sounded dumb but Wirt's voice was surpassingly soft and warm. "Not safe? I-I do not see what you mean, the entire building is guarded by magic a-and from what I can tell its strong magic at that... I-I've never seen symbols like these before..." and then Wirt falls silent again and goes back to starring at the building, fingers absently brushing over the leather of his book. Dipper joins him and they sit together for a long time in silence just starring at The Mystery Shack.

Dipper breaks the silence by opening his door and running around the front of the car to open Wirt's door, he let Wirt shuffle out of the seat, wrapping an arm around his middle and helping him stand. He hadn't really thought about it beforehand but Wirt's waist was ridiculously slim, he couldn't help but wonder if Wirt had been eating properly or maybe he was naturally this slim, though Dipper wasn't that big of an idiot to believe that. He needed to get Wirt some medical attention and then a cooked meal. He fumbled slightly with his keys but when he did manage to get the door open he easily directed Wirt into the living room and helped sit him down. Wirt let out a breath as he sat, probably glad to take the pressure off of his foot again. Dipper stood awkwardly to the side of the chair, wondering if he should offer to get his guest a drink or if Wirt would just find him a bother. He also wanted to get a look at Wirt's book, it probably had some useful spells or better yet, information on monsters and be needed to know about what he's walked in on not even an hour ago. "I-I'm sorry to be a bother... but could I ask for a glass of Water or a cup of tea?" His head shot up from where he had been starring at the floor. "Yes! I-I'll just go get you that...water".

He quickly left the room and headed to the kitchen. It took a moment for the water to sputter out but once the brown tint had left the water, Dipper deemed the water drinkable. He filled one of his glasses and made his way back to Wirt, determined to ask to read through Wirt's book. But when he rounded the corner, his words died on his lips. Wirt's head was turned slightly towards him, his eyes were closed and a thin trail of drool rolled down his chin. His chest rising and falling with silent , dozing breaths. Dipper stood and stared at the sleeping man for a while, his eyes darted to the book on the man's lap and he unconsciously licked at his lips. He could look through the book while Wirt slept. He set the glass of water down before walking towards Wirt. Now standing closer to the sleeping man he could clearly see the lines of his face as well as the way his brow was creased as well as how his eyebrow's would occasionally twitch. He just stood and stared for a good few minutes, his eyes taking in every line in his face, every intake of breath the sleeping man took. 'Maybe I should wait until he's awake, it's kinda rude to look through his possessions without actually asking'. He thought to himself, then a sudden thought came to him. What if there's a side effect to him using these spells? Suddenly worried he bent over Wirt, bringing his face close before brushing the stray strands of hair out of his face. He pressed the palm of his hand lightly onto his forehead a sighed in relief. He wasn't burning up, his temperature was pretty normal which he guessed was a good thing. Wirt hadn't exactly explained his spell so maybe him sleeping so quickly would be the only side effect. I hope so, I have no idea what I'd do if he started burning up or worse. He pulled away and ran a hand through his own hair before leaning around the back of the chair and pulling an old and worn blanket out from behind it, carefully he covered Wirt's body though the man was far too long for the short fabric so his excessively long legs were hardly covered at all. With Wirt taken care of and in no hurry to get back to his nightmares Dipper decided to take a stroll through the woods, he quickly scrawled a note down before leaving, attaching it to the glass of water. Once Wirt was awake he would get him some medical attention.

\--

He had jolted upwards with a scream and a tangle of limbs ultimetely leading to him laying face down on the floor. He was immobile for a while as the terror slowly slipped away into the back of his mind to no doubt torment him again at a later date. Wirt wasn't so sure as to how long he stayed lying on the floor but it felt like an eon and his back ached when he started to shift himself into a sitting position, he hissed when his ankle gave a pang of pain but easily ignored the lingering throbbing. Now in a proper sitting position Wirt starred at his surroundings. He was in his saviours house, a run down looking building, which smelt of rotting wood and something he couldn't put his finger on. He heard a thumping sound from upstairs and turned his head to the door where his saviour stood panting. "A-are you okay?! I heard you scream and came running." Wirt looked up at Dipper, that had been his name, before nodding. "Yeah... I-I'm fine... How long have I been asleep?" He asked. Dipper entered the room and helped him stand and settled him down back in the old armchair and taking the blanket from him. "A couple of hours, I'd say at least 3 or 4?" He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "So... Do you want to go to the hospital to get your ankle checked out?" He asked. Wirt shook his head, probably too quickly. "No, they'd want me to explain how I broke it and I doubt they'll accept 'demon attack' as an answer, they'll just want to send me back to a psychiatrist". He sighed and glanced at his saviour who seemed to be thinking something through. "I uh know you don't want to go to the hospital but we should really get your ankle looked at... Do you mind if I...?"

Dipper pointed at his ankle and Wirt paused before nodding and stretching out his leg with a wince. Dipper pauses for a moment before stepping forwards and crouching next to his leg. He lifts his leg onto his thigh and starts examining it before he begins to gingerly poke the brushing. Wirt winces but let's him continues, Dipper's fingers brush over the bruising occasionally putting pressure which makes Wirt flinch in pain, but overall he's very gentle while he examines his leg. Dipper places his foot back on the floor when he's done and stands, dusting imaginary dust from his legs and backside. "I think it's defiantly broken or fractured... I can get you a bag of peas or something to try and reduce the swelling and some bandages to set it right but we'll need to go to the hospital sooner or later". Wirt nods and runs a hand through his hair, already thinking of excuses. "I'd appreciate something cold and those bandages, if you wouldn't mind," Dipper nods before dashing off and returns quickly, pea's and bandages held in separate hands. He bends down and takes his leg in his hand, draping the cool bag over his ankle. Wirt sighs in relief as the cold soothed the pain. Dipper steps away quickly, Wirt doesn't miss the way Dipper's eyes flicker to his book and he laughs, though it came out as a long, quiet breath. He picked up the book and ran a thumb over the binding before passing it over to him. Dipper's eyes snapped to his face, his mouth opening and closing before he whispered "I-is it okay? I mean it's got to be important to you right?" Wirt nods but doesn't retract his hand "of course it is, it's saved me countless of times and well I'd be dead if not for it. But I'd also be dead if not for you as well, plus you've let me into your home, cared for me so you can look through my book".

Dipper pauses a moment before taking the book and holds it in his hands, gazing down at it. He glances around before moving closer to him and sitting on the floor. Wirt shifts so that he can look over Dippers shoulder. Dipper carefully opens the cover, his hand gently sliding over the binding. Wirt feels a tight pain in his chest when his eyes land on the photo, Dipper pauses at the photo and Wirt feels like he has to offer some explanation, a name for the boy in the picture. "Uh he's... Greg my um brother..." He can see the tension in Dipper back but he doesn't say or react in anyway simply turns the page, to where the book actually starts. Wirt doesn't need to look at the book, he knows the pages back to front but he does anyway. Dipper flicks through the pages carefully, taking each page in at a time. Wirt can appreciate the care he's taking with his book, while the pages aren't old they have torn on some pages from over use and the pages could very easily tear, he really should rewrite the book so that they don't tear. Making more copies couldn't exactly hurt.

Once Dipper's done he closes the book and let's it sit in his lap. "Is it okay if I ask some questions?" Dipper says and turns towards him, surprising Wirt, he nods but brings his hands into his lap, linking his fingers in one another. "I-I don't really mind...I-It depends what you want to know..." Dipper nods and shifts his body so he's facing him. "Where did you learn to read Latin, What the hell was that at your house, why was it trying to kill you and how are you connected to those weird trees that have been appearing..." Wirt waited a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath and then opened them. "I learnt latin from a friend, she studied the language at university... she also had experience with... the demon hunting me now. I was foolish and thought that we would be safe from it but she didn't believe it and wanted to protect us all..." He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he continued on "Beatrice was incrediably smart when it came to uh, witchcraft. She found the majority of the spells in this book..." He glanced at Dipper who was looking down at the book in his lap, there would be no point in lying he reasoned to himself so he continued on. "The demon hunting us was something we encountered when we were kids. It almost killed us then but... I- we outwitted it, took Beatrice back with us and then it came back, years later. I-It shouldn't have been able to get out of The Unknown, but it had somehow managed to get a part of itself free... Beatrice died but it brought years of repressed trauma back for me... years worth of regret..." He fell silent, biting his lower lip. "...What happened to your brother? D-did this demon get him as well?" ----- Wirt's laugh was cold and short, almost a sob. "God, I wish it had been the one who did it ... no, Greg was killed years ago, by... my psychiatrist actually who at the time was trying to get me to kill myself, and well I wouldn't so he decided to do it himself... fucked up right?"

Wirt had propped himself on his elbow and was looking down at him with a tight smile, his eyes purposefully blank, void of any emotion. Dipper didn't know what to say, what could he say? "Greg simply walked in at the wrong time and threw himself at the doctor to save me, again and well the madman stabbed me in the ribs and then security came around and well, the man slit his own throat." Dipper stares at Wirt's face catching the faint emotiona flicker across his face but doesn't say anything, simply lets Wirt keep talking. "I think The Beast may have, I don't know influenced that doctor somehow. Beatrice was my one supporter left, The Beast, the demon probably knew that she was the only thing keeping me going, once she was dead I lost hope, she left me her book and I managed to save my own skin and now I'm here, a sad excuse of a monster hunter and a failed writer by all accounts." Dipper swallowed, forcing himself to look away from Wirt. "I-I'm sorry about your friend and b-brother... Do you not have anyone who'd look after you? Who could help keep this demon away from you?"

Wirt scoffed, running a hand over his face. "They all blamed me for Greg's death. I-I haven't talked to my family or school mates in... Months? They don't know anything about The Beast or what's been happening to me, they simply don't care anymore.... I couldn't get them involved in this mess. That'd be too cruel." A short, breathless laugh came next, Dipper glanced up to find that Wirt was starring at his knees "God, I haven't been this honest... This open with somebody since Greg.....I mean you can only drag people down for so long before they have enough, right?" They both don't say anything for a while, each lost in their own heads until he breaks the silence. "Y-you can stay here if you want. I-I mean it's just me here and my uh, work is pretty quiet..." Wirt stares at him for a moment, they share that moment simply gazing into eachother eyes and he can't help the heaviness that settles in around his gut when Wirt eventually pulls his eyes away, cheeks slightly flushed. "I-I suppose I don't h-have anywhere else to go... Are you really okay with having me around here though? I mean-" He's quick to jump in and interrupt, he raises a hand to silence Wirt before talking "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want you here. You need to rest that ankle until your ready to go to a hospital, I could always use help with my work... So consider that your uh 'rent' or whatever. Every day you work for me you won't have to pay me anything, deal?" He holds out his hand towards his guest, expecting and waiting. Again Wirt hesitates, however, he soon leans over the armrest to grasp his hand tightly. "Y-yes that's fine, I- uh... Thank you Dipper, really. Nobody has been this kind to me in ages... I appreciate it." Wirt lets his hand drop from his hold and they go back to simply looking anywhere but at each other.

Eventually Dipper breaks the silence "I'm going to make something to eat... I don't know what yet but you don't have any um allergies I need to be aware of?" Wirt shakes his head and then Dipper leaves. Leaving silence between them both.


End file.
